The Importance of the Eye-line

In a television interview keep your eye-line to the interviewer, as you want to look focused, not shifty – this is really key to the impression you create. Many people look up or down when they are trying think about what they want to say. However, if you do not appear to be looking the interviewer in the eye, you arouse suspicion that you are not telling the truth – body language experts can read quite a lot into exactly how you react when you are answering a question truthfully, as opposed to when you may be trying to hide something. If, as sometimes happens in a studio debate, you are asked questions by more than one person, deliver your answer to the person who asked the question, so any eye-line movement will tend to occur while you are listening, rather than while you are speaking. With a down-the-line interview, where you are in a remote studio, you will hear the questions through an earpiece or small loudspeaker – in these circumstances you have to look directly into the camera, treating it as if it were a person. Many people find this awkward at first, so really benefit from practice during a TV media training session. Try not to be self-conscious, chat into the camera as normally as you can – it will probably look better to the viewer than it feels to you at the time! (taken from the book The M-Factorby Tom Maddocks)

Media Trainers Around the World

Media Training Associates is based in London but we can run courses in Britain or overseas, in small groups or one-on-one. Our clients range from leading banks and insurance companies to law firms, manufacturing businesses and charities.

Our trainers have had experience working for BBC's 'Newsnight' and 'The Money Programme', ITN, and leading national newspapers and magazines.

The M Factor: Media Confidence for Business Leaders and Managers, by course director Tom Maddocks, is recognised as the UK's leading media training handbook. Visit the official book website for further details.

"If you want to understand how to get the media on-side, in good times or bad, this book is a good place to start" ~ Sir Stuart Rose, former chairman and chief executive of Marks & Spencer plc.